Coordinating the SACE | Admin | Information sheets | 04
Previously Information sheet 04 Eligibility for enrolment — English as an Additional Language (EAL)
English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the SACE is designed for students who speak English as an additional language or dialect, and whose English language proficiency is restricted.
Eligibility must be determined for students studying in Australia who wish to enrol in:
- Stage 1 English as an Additional Language
- Stage 2 English as an Additional Language.
Procedure
In order to enrol in EAL, a student must be determined eligible based on the criteria. Students should apply to their school principal or principal’s delegate using Form 6.
Eligibility is determined by the EAL teacher and verified by the principal or the principal’s delegate of the teaching school of the subject. To be deemed eligible for a subject, a student must meet the eligibility criteria for the subject at the time of enrolment in the subject.
The principal or the principal’s delegate should advise each student of the outcome of his or her application in writing, by providing a signed copy of the application form.
Where eligibility is not easily determined, the school may seek policy advice from the SACE Board.
A completed Form 6 must be submitted to, and verified by, the principal or the principal’s delegate before the student is enrolled in the subject. Schools are responsible for collecting and verifying documentation in order to support the application. Appropriate documentation may include examples of student work used to assess the student’s English language proficiency.
Completed forms (Form 6) and any supporting documentation should be kept at the school. This information may be requested by the SACE Board for auditing purposes.
The enrolment of a student in English as an Additional Language is deemed confirmation that the principal or the principal’s delegate has verified that the student meets the eligibility criteria.
Application and criteria for eligibility
Application for eligibility
Stage 1
All students studying in Australia who want to enrol in Stage 1 English as an Additional Language (EAL) must apply for eligibility to enrol.
Stage 2
Students who applied for eligibility and were deemed eligible to enrol in Stage 1 EAL are automatically eligible to enrol in Stage 2 EAL.
Students who did not apply for eligibility to enrol in Stage 1 EAL, or who applied but were not deemed eligible, may apply for eligibility to enrol in Stage 2 EAL.
Students studying in Australia must apply for eligibility to enrol in Stage 2 EAL if they are entering the SACE at Stage 2.
Eligibility criteria
A student is eligible to enrol in EAL if he or she is a student for whom English is an additional language or dialect, and who has had:
- no more than 5 years of full-time schooling where the medium of instruction was English
or
- more than 5 years of full-time schooling where the medium of instruction was English, and whose English language proficiency is restricted or who is resident and studying in an overseas country where English is not the primary or official language.
*Students operating above Level 11 in Stage 1 and above Level 12 in Stage 2, according to the levels defined in the Learning English: Achievement and Proficiency (LEAP) Levels (Department for Education, 2020).
Appeal process and breach of rules
Students who believe that their application for eligibility to enrol in English as an Additional Language (EAL) has been inappropriately assessed by the school may appeal in writing to the SACE Board.
It is a breach of the rules if students provide incorrect, misleading, or incomplete information in support of their eligibility application. Such students may be withdrawn from the subject or have their result in the subject removed from official SACE Board records.